Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Election 2020
Brian Bakst
St. Paul

Appeals court won’t block Rep. Craig victory in 2nd District

Two side by side portraits one of a woman and one of a man.
DFL U.S. Rep. Angie Craig (left) and Republican challenger Tyler Kistner. The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has declined to toss out a judge’s ruling that allowed the 2nd District race to proceed despite the death of a third-party candidate.
Evan Frost | MPR News and Submitted file

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

A federal appeals court declined Friday to overturn Democratic Rep. Angie Craig’s victory in this month’s 2nd Congressional District election.

The new ruling says that the Nov. 3 election was OK to proceed despite the death of a third-party candidate. The late-September death of Legal Marijuana Now Party nominee Adam Weeks put a state law into play that might have forced a special election next year.

Republican candidate Tyler Kistner sought to enforce that state law and noted that state officials initially told people that votes wouldn’t be tallied in the race.

But the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals says a lower court judge who ruled in Craig’s initial lawsuit was right to look to federal law instead of Minnesota’s statute regarding timing of the election.

“Even assuming for the sake of analysis that federal law permits a state to cancel an election and thereby to produce a ‘failure to elect’ in certain extraordinary situations, we think federal law would allow that course only in truly “exigent” circumstances,” the judges wrote in their unsigned opinion.

Appeals judges say the district’s constituents would suffer harm if they were left without a representative when Congress convenes next year so an injunction was warranted.

Craig won her second term by about 10,000 votes over Kistner. Weeks posthumously received about 25,000 votes.

The race is among those due for formal state certification next week.